Yu-Gi-Oh: Capsule Monsters Ep. 1-3 Review (CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS FINALE) - Atop the Fourth Wall

[@fesworks]

I had to reinforce bandit's mask so my lips wouldn't be very clear. I wasn't able to mimic the Kuribo's voicelines ahead of time, so the takes are a mix of my mimic acting to a couple of different takes of his voicelines. A very long shoot, but I was determined to help Lewis film it all in one day >.< I think it was at least 7 hours of set up and filming of just our scenes alone.

[@AT4W]

Feel like it was even longer than that, though I might be remembering wrong. But having all the setup and different camera angles was definitely worth it and you were right to push me into making it look as good as it did.

[@fesworks]

@@AT4W Oh, I was just including set-up time, excluding teardown. I am game to do something like this again, but I should probably develop a better plan next time. Got a good idea of the space we can have, and might opt for another vertical green screen kit and more lights >.

[@AT4W]

Guess who got a big stand-on-its-own green screen for Christmas! =D

[@fesworks]

@@AT4W NOICE!

[@CMWaters]

Random aside question, and I don't mean this as an insult to you, did the chair crack during the "NOOO!"? I thought I heard one rewarching but I could be mistaken.

[@TheSpiderByte]

The Contest is over? A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE TO US ALL! HAPPY NEW STORYLINE!

[@TheSpiderByte]

Just to clarify, I enjoyed the storyline, it's just....so long.

[@shadowldrago]

@@TheSpiderByte To be fair, I THINK it was going to be shorter, but, as per usual, Stuff Happened. Notably the COVID lockdown.

[@Chaosmage42]

@@shadowldrago yep. though i did guess that trick because thats one of the things you see in a lot of the fiction with the infinity stones/gems but there is some times a story that beak those rules so i wasn't certain but at least now that its over we might be able to see something new

[@shadowldrago]

@@Chaosmage42 It's also worth noting that if Linkara actually had access to a functioning version of the Gauntlet with the Gems/Stones, that's it. He wins.

[@IzzysIssues]

It's been 84 years

[@thenightstar8312]

It's worth noting that Capsule Monsters wasn't actually entirely "written" by the American 4Kids staff, they just gave the Japanese production team a list of general things they wanted to see and dictated several elements in a very general sense, but the writers were still on the Japanese side, trying to put together a plot that accommodated all of 4Kids's requests.

[@desshinta9428]

It's credited as being written by Matthew Drdek, Lloyd Goldfin, Norman J. Grossfeld and Michael Pecoriello. All of whom are known for ad-libbing the dubs they write, such as what 4Kids did to Ultraman Tiga; which held a completely service-able plot if unchanged but the members of the localization on that one changed things for no reason which made things dumb...such as literally turning the Shows commander-role character into a Bimbo. That is not me exaggerating, that is from actress Erica Schroeder herself on the matter of said character's mistreatment by them when she was brought in to voice her. Other examples being the Pokemon episodes they did that were given the same m/ad-lib treatment; completely ignoring what was provided. Some of them worked on the early-00's Ninja Turtles series as well, and those scripts which started from them BEFORE in any way being animated have the same failing; their content being written as mad-libs, not functional stories. Thus it is less of a sign of the Japanese staff writing something upon request and it was changed after the fact to conform to fit pre-existing narrative alterations (See, Pyramid of Light), and more a showcase of the patterns of behavior common to 4Kids as a company and the involved individual's precedent conduct around story creation where even when they're given what they ask for they still choose to take it further than can be justified. Thus partially shifting the blame to any involved Japanese staff as well for "Writing" a poor product 'before the dub got their hands on it' just feels wrong in the face of that. I kind-of feel that's a problem with some members of the yugioh fandom; in that they ignore other data points of involved cast and staff members in making its judgements so such just devolves into wild-mass-guessing at times; some of which being slander/libel against the wrong individuals. Case in point; the hate that gets thrown at Screenwriter Shin Yoshida for things outside his control or he was not in any way responsible for. Like actress Ayumi Kinoshita (Best known as Jasmine "Dekayellow" Reimon from the Sentai Dekaranger atop her role as Aki Izayoi/Akiza Izinski) being busy doing her normal job as a live-action Actor in her series Uramiya Honpo Reboot during the period where Aki had almost no presence in the third arc of 5D's. The series is commonly criticized over not using Aki much during that time, yet all discussion disregards the fact that Ayumi was literally unavailable for longer recording sessions required for the character to have focused-upon episodes due to the demands of being the title character of a live-action series. Or how the Jack/Carly relationship arc stalled not because Carly's actress happened to be associated with a cult (Long story if you've not heard it), but because the ONLY writer who had been behind their paramour arc left to work on another series, and he just never came back when there were opportunities for the show to do anything with that arc; thus the other writers just left it alone out of respect to them...right up until the series ended and they had to give the audience something, and they chose poorly in the wrapup by still leaving it open. Or how the focus on the Psychic cult stuff ended with the Dark Signer arc (Many thought there was more there to work with) because they'd actually already resolved the plot by having the man behind it get arrested and thrown in jail for life; a detail the series forgot to include (it finally being definitively explained with an apology attached in the 10th anniversary apocrypha book) not out of malice, but because Yoshida had gotten Waylaid into writing the film Bonds Beyond Time (and because of that, the setup for the planned 3rd, 4th and 5th arcs were consequently seeded into the movie as cross-promotion of it via the film's antagonist), and it was the show's secondary writers that had free reign for a while, and THEY all forgot about it themselves as they hadn't been the ones to focus that much ON that arc to recall it needed more of a Coda and conclusion than what had already been given. And that's just 3 examples of the bigger discourses from 5D's that have simple answers to them which don't involve Yoshida being the cause...yet they're all blamed on him because key details of them aren't considered to show there was no active intent nor malice to accredit. We can't as much say any of that when it is a presented pattern of behavior.

[@christopherb501]

​@@desshinta9428But I can still blame incompetence on the part of Katsuni Ono, right?

[@JuanLeon-oe6xe]

​@@desshinta9428Don't forget the part where Crow was a spotlight stealer more because of being the writer's favorite, not because "buy Blackwings", (and with you mention Aki not being available, the other optuon are the twins, which are adorable but not really WRGP contestants). I remember a reddit post on similar lines to yours, pointing out how Blackwings weren't even meta relevant during the Synchro era (and now I can't find it, maybe it got deleted?). Then again I am the "if you keep complaining about Final Fantasy XIII being" linear" or having "hallways" you're not only ignoring it's real issues (bad pacing [insert joke about Mwxico City microbuses], terrible introductions for the main [actually not _that_ awfull] cast, it's director motomu toriyama only got there by his last name alone [when he ahould be cleaning toilets at McDonald's]) you're asking for half-finished barren wastelands. Also Lightning's visual design takes from an early _Squall_ sketch, not Cloud, and if anything, she acts like a female _Jotaro Kujo_" guy (words more, words less, insults more), been for the last _13 years_ . Believe when I say I feel your pain on "fan"doms acting like utter morons, no matter the long term harm, they share that with the conspiratorial minded...

[@Hawkatana]

@@desshinta9428 Did not expect to see you down here.

[@daelen.cclark]

You think they made it with self-sabotage in mind just to spite 4kids?

[@paulieswalnut]

When Little Kuriboh, who absolutely LOVED the original series, starts his Abridged version of Caplule Monsters with: "Previously on CRAP!", you know you're in for a good time.

[@sarahlivingston]

"Step on the map." "Make me!"

[@Nameless-ln5mr]

“Robin Williams! For my first wish, I wish that Yu-Gi-Oh! GX never happened! And for my second, I wish that Téa would stop hitting on me. 'Cause that ain't happenin'! And for my third, I wish that the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game made sense!” - Yami Yugi, facing down La Jinn

[@dnmstarsi]

@@sarahlivingston Captain Picard: "NO! NOOOOOOO!!!"

[@marinerman]

Tea: Who's that Pokemon? Tristan: IT'S PAEKACHU!!! Gosh, dang it, eeauugghh!!!

[@BlueBlurHedgehog20]

You know, I am SO thankful that the Content ID bots didn't detect my YuGiOh GX remix/cover after what happened with the whole Star Wars opening crawl debacle, not to mention Linkara's Content ID disdain in general. Still, it's great to finally see the Contest come to its long-awaited conclusion, and I'm more than honored to have been part of the journey! Here's to the next year and the next big storyline!

[@JosephHeiskell]

The Contest is finally finished, you won with a great coup de grace, and everyone who predicted how the trophy worked rightly said in unison "CALLED IT!!!"

[@CouchSpud91]

I honestly haven't been following the storyline at all outside of knowing how long it's been dragging on, but I called the 'twist' with the trophy the instant Linkara was all on board with giving the gauntlet to Linksano.

[@marinerman]

To quote Cooler in TeamFourStar’s Revenge of Cooler movie… Cooler: Well I certainly hope somebody picks up that phone… Sauza: What do you… Cooler: BECAUSE I FREAKING CALLED IT!!!

[@BigAmericanGirlFan]

As people have previously said, this arc lasted so long that I graduated high school and then started and ended college by the time it was over. Congratulations, Linkara on the victory and can't wait to see what comes next for the show!

[@williamgreci8219]

Man, that was great. Linkara brought his A game with the snark, jokes, and criticism. Both in the review itself and the final contest. That rant about the contest consuming so much time and effort that it became a case of "sunk cost fallacy" by the time it FINALLY ended. The duel itself was a clever display of strategy. The twist with the Infinity Gauntlet was genius. Overall, a strong recommendation.

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

LOOK MA WE DID IT WE MADE IT TO THE END 😭😂 Congrats on 750 episodes and 15 years of the show and here’s hoping the next 750 & 15 are even better! 🎉

[@taylormansonshadicstorm9008]

“It’s time to duel, Bandit Chief! So sit your ass down, and get your game on!!!” Awesome!!

[@fesworks]

I was really hoping we could meme the D-d-d-d-d-duel thing (maybe as a short), but Lewis just wanted to get things finally done >.

[@shadowldrago]

I guessed the twist, but that doesn't mean that this was any less satisfying. Good shit, Linkara.

[@vtmarik]

I've rewatched this finale like 4 times, I cannot get enough of the speech and Linkara leaning over to stage whisper about winning the duel 5 turns ago. Such a nice way to finally close it out!

[@BigAmericanGirlFan]

Agreed on the stage whisper. He's usually not one for swearing but the exhaustion of this storyline has shown why the Bandit Chief shouldn't have fucked around and found out that he shouldn't have

[@ShouAlias-io7ud]

IT'S OVER! IT'S FINALLY OVER! THE LONG NIGHT IS FINALLY OVER!!!!! I'M SO GLAD! Now we can go back to having STORYLINES. Thank god. I'm so happy. It's one of the reasons I enjoy this show, it inspired me in my own writing, and seeing the story spin its wheels because of delay after delay after delay after delay was horrible. Congrats on making it here, congrats on 750, and congrats on 15 years! I've been watching for 10 years myself. Keep up the good work. :D

[@christianogden2825]

I think it’s time to drop the storyline gimmick. Especially if it’s gonna take almost a decade to finish one of them

[@Brandonweifu]

Fuck that noise! Lets keep em goin​@christianogden2825

[@CMWaters]

​@@christianogden2825I think it was just a lack of scope and bad luck with this one. Other stories didn't have this much trouble.

[@gracekim1998]

@@christianogden2825no the reason it took so long is partially due to the pandemic affecting the entire world 😅

[@christianogden2825]

@@gracekim1998 ok….that explains one year of delays. And honestly, he could still have filmed a decent chunk of the storyline during covid. A lot of those scenes are him in his various costumes with some voiceovers. It didn’t require other people all that much. But even still, one year. Explain the other 7! He started this storyline in 2017. It took til 2024 to end it!

[@ultra6671]

Part of me wonders if the whole reason Lewis wrote the Contest of Champions Arc was so he could get a chance to rant about Cyber Jar getting banned.

[@TheLyokoWarriors]

It’s Monday!? The Contest of Champions ended!? It’s a Christmas miracle! Merry Christmas, Lewis and Viga!

[@thatonea-hole]

*HUZZAH!! THE STORYLINE ENDED!!!!*

[@thewolfofgallifrey5961]

After everything Linkara went through in this contest (and everything Lewis went through to get it out there), it is the most cathartic thing to see Bandit Chief get his bandana'd ass SPANKED. "I already won this duel five turns ago." HA! What a lovely Christmas bounty we have been given!

[@thevideogameempire]

The most unrealistic thing in this video is a Yu Gi Oh match that ends in half an hour.

[@Chaosmage42]

depends these days the games a lot quicker

[@KMmouse20]

Man, it was really good to see the climax of the competition at last, and in a giggle worthy way that really was cathartic and goofy in equal measures. A children's card game for the Gauntlet. What a concept.

[@chaossol]

Leave it to Linkara to end the longest tournament arc in history on a children’s card game and a catchy ‘Get Your Game On’ cover to make it worth it. Nice move.

[@tipulsar85]

The original Capsule Monsters arc in the manga is the first time the shadow duels aftermath is covered. Mokuba realizes that the person he's play against is the same person that broke his brother's mind for the moment.

[@furonguy42]

Its good to see the Contest of Champions finally come to a conclusion! I don't normally get so involved as to post theories or whatnot for the storyline segments, but I've been sitting on a theory for six years, patiently waiting to see if it would come to fruition, so I want to finally say it. At the end of the Sleepwalker arc, Linkara ruminates on how "Vyce always called me Champion", and only one minute later, an invitation materialises for... The Contest of Champions. I was _convinced_ for six years that there might be some kind of time travel subplot where it turned out Vyce first met Linkara in the Contest and called him "Champion" out of respect after seeing him win. I'm kind of glad it didn't turn out that way in the end, if only because it probably would have drawn this arc out even longer, but I'm relieved that now the arc's over, I can finally get that theory off my chest. Congratulations on fifteen years of this show, Lewis, and congratulations on finally finishing this story arc.

[@gracekim1998]

Regardless it’s a cool theory

[@ArilliusDM]

I think Vice explained why he calls Linkara that. It's not quite a universal constant, but Linkara's multiverse exists on a spectrum where champions almost always seem to rise for a certain universe naturally, be they good or wicked individuals. He fought a lot of them, and was one himself, so it's a term of respect... but also one that's minimizing to a degree, basically categorizing Linkara as something he's bested before.

[@theruoc147]

Not the Christmas we expected but the one we needed. Also “I don’t have any toons in my deck.” Hilarious

[@Robin0928]

1:01:31 "Special Thanks to: Atop the Fourth Wall fans wordlwide..." If thats not the perfect end to this damn storyline lol

[@AT4W]

*Long sigh*

[@Robin0928]

@@AT4W you're gonna hate me, but the next slide also has a typo in it. Best advice? Add it to the next mistakes list.

[@Nightwing9597]

@@Robin0928”Storyline will be taking a lbreak”

[@BigJackFilms]

Congrats on finishing the arc Linkara. My 10th Anniversary Special took 5 years to finally be realized and right on the mark. I know the feeling of being frustrated with delays and the complications with production of your vision. As a member of the Reviewaverse I appauld your efforts and glad to see its conclusion.

[@TevyaSmolka]

ooh awesome :)

[@ProfessorChaos56]

I thought there was no way this could live up to the anticipation, but darn it all, I quite enjoyed that. Here's hoping a storyline never suffers from this many delays ever again. And here's all everyone who committed to finishing this. Merry Christmas.

[@lotus-prince]

Congratulations on 750 episodes and the conclusion of the Contest of Champions!

[@ptcarbonproductions2013]

Oh boy, that was sooo satisfying. A perfect retribution for these five long years. Thanks Linkara!

[@Nightwing9597]

53:24 “I DON’T LIKE HAVING AN ASTERISK NEXT TO MY NAME!!” One of the other competitors might take offense to that. Namely *.

[@ianbyrd4934]

52:25 This just shows me how dedicated you are to your craft. Have yourself a break and I look forward to seeing the rest of your stuff!

[@CrazyBuffyFan1]

You did it, Lewis! You finally conquered the seemingly never-ending CoC! :D Seriously, though, well done with it despite the numerous delays. Here's hoping 2024 is kinder to you overall!

[@thatonea-hole]

Yup! Although there is a race 🏁 in CoC that we STILL haven't seen

[@MattwosRandomNonContent]

You know it's weird, TMNT 2003 (Fast Forward apparently aside) and Chaotic were proof that 4kids could make quality original content entirely detached from anime source footage. It begs the question how things went so wrong with their original Yugioh media or those cringeworthy mid-commercial break bits they made with zero budget while Cartoon Network was blowing them away with the CN City bumpers.

[@Wright805]

I disagree, I loved TMNT: Fast Forwards.

[@CaptainAvenger1993]

After 5 long years, the Contest of Champions storyline is over! Merry Christmas Lewis and to everyone and I’m looking forward to the next storyline for next year.

[@thatonea-hole]

The only thing left is that race 🏁 that Lewis did, yet we have not seen

[@theamericanwhovian5678]

This storyline has been going on so long that I both started and finished college, and I got married!! 😂 but happy with episode all together! Awesome work man!

[@New3DSLuigi364]

29:21 The Part I've been WAITING for the MOST within the episode!!

[@dannyh13100]

So Linkara’s rant before the rematch was less acting and more Lewis venting about the Never Ending Plot Line.

[@Wreckur4203]

5:00 that gag returning is the real Christmas present

[@tannerprice2018]

Some folks celebrate Christmas with families and presents. True kings celebrate it with YuGiOh. Merry Christmas, Linkara.

[@Caernath]

A storyline AT4W episode - the most entertaining Christmas present one could hope for!

[@thatonea-hole]

One that finishes the current one & has hints for a possible new upcoming one!

[@moilevin7088]

Linkara just list every problem with tournament arcs. 53:00

[@OrpheusSpyros5]

The idea behind Capsule Monster's wasn't Bad. Takahashi was known to be a mega-fan of Dungeons and Dragons and wanted to incorporate more of it into the show, hence why he created this. The original idea was to branch out the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise into other game types(in this case Chess). Sadly, it just didn't take off like they really wanted it too... Merry Christmas Linkara!!🎉

[@assimilation9]

Yeah when he created the game in the manga he wanted to incorporate dnd elements which is partly why season 1 has all that nonsense mechanics.

[@OrpheusSpyros5]

@@assimilation9 it was kinda Sad to me personally that Capsule Monster's or Dungeon Dice never really took office. If the Card Game aspect hadn't took off so fast, we could've had some interesting game crossovers. The idea of Yami Bakura cursing a Board game and dropping The Pharaoh & Company into it like Jumanji would've made an awesome Filler Arch to me....

[@assimilation9]

@@OrpheusSpyros5 Something like that kinda happened in the manga. If you remember the episode where Yami Bakura trapped them as cards, that didn’t happen in the manga. Instead, before duelist kingdom they were all playing a variation of dnd and he turned them into their characters.

[@OrpheusSpyros5]

@@assimilation9 I do remember that bit in the Manga, as it was technically Bakura's first appearance. I just don't personally count the Card Avatar thing they did in the Anime as a Different game. Personally think they missed a perfect opportunity there....oh, Merry Christmas BTW.

[@altejoh]

I unironically would have bought and played the heck out of both Capsule Monsters and Dungeon Dice Monsters, if just as much effort had been put into them as the card game >.< allegedly there were versions made for Japan but they were never popular enough to go anywhere, which feels sad... Atleast the capsule monster video game was kinda fun.

[@calebmarmon1310]

Worth the wait. So happy to see the CoC finale in the best way possible. Thanks for all of your hard work and perseverance in the face of… a series of unfortunate technical difficulties.

[@linbatspiderprime6202]

This was... AWESOME and well deserved with excellent build up, fantastic plot twists throughout and an all around enjoyable experience.

[@transagentcooper8041]

After 15 years, I still love your storylines and in jokes and cameos. One of your best episodes, Happy Holidays linkara❤

[@jadenbryant9283]

Yeah I think Linkara is now the only one that does storyline in His reviews

[@transagentcooper8041]

@@jadenbryant9283 i believe so

[@BenVSA]

It took five years, controversies from and ex employer, a pandemic that shook the earth and numerous threats from time, space and dream demons, but we reached the end. Hopefully this is a load off Lewis' back and here's to the future, REALLY looking forward to what comes next.

[@SwannyTheMike]

I would totally watch a movie that ends with the protagonist playing Texas hold 'em against Cthulhu.

[@JosephHeiskell]

But what if Cthulhu insists on seven card stud?

[@SwannyTheMike]

@@JosephHeiskell Then you panic, throw all the cards on the floor and tell him it's now fifty-two pick up.

[@skyslasher2297]

59:41 Maybe but I’m personally satisfied especially with the duel it’s ending and especially the twist with the gauntlet since it makes perfect sense. Merry Christmas to you and your family Lewis here’s to a deserved ending and a new beginning. P.S 5 Headed Dragon finally won something after so many years of being the evil boss monster and in the real game being just a mass foolish for dragons.

[@ignitedrowlets5776]

Yeah i figured early on that the gauntlet wouldn't work, given how it works in the source material, but something tells me that the ones who set up that reality warping box wants linkara to get it to work somehow

[@Krosbryd]

SPOILERS FOR STORYLINE SEGMENT! Linksano: "Feels a little anticlimactic!" Nah, that is a VERY solid twist that I did not see coming! :D Makes total sense in hindsight though. Very fun episode, both in the review and the storyline! It's been a long time coming (and your fans understand!), but you really stuck the landing!

[@aarengabriel8106]

The wait was definitely worth it. I loved it, all the twists and turns, it kept me guessing all the way. Here's hoping Linksano makes the Gauntlet work in Earth-4W one day!

[@the4thwallkid132]

The best Christmas present anyone could ask for: THE FINALE OF THE CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS!!!

[@wilsonkierankitsune]

I love how the GX music kicks in at the end of the duel

[@joshuaingobo1559]

Looks like posting this video on Christmas Day is your gift to us, Lewis. And we thank you for that. I hope that you and all of AT4W have a wonderful Christmas, happy holiday, and a Happy New Year.

[@thatonea-hole]

Do you mean *your GIFT instead of you give?!

[@Shadethewolfy]

That was a very satisfying end, and the rant at the end was very cathartic. I'm very proud of you, man. Congrats on 750 episodes and 15 years, and here's to the next 750 and 15. Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart and soul, Linkara. This show of yours is something that I hold very dear, and I've been watching for a long time. It has brought me endless hours of joy and excitement, and I am extremely thankful that it exists and that you provide us with this entertainment. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and I hope the coming year holds nothing but joy and good tidings for you, your family, and your friends. I hope that it's not out of line to say this, but I love you and what you do

[@jesselun9535]

Wow, nice work finally completing this story line! When you announced it was a card battle, I was initially hesitant on how it would go given it's not very easy to make it entertaining, but you made it quite suspenseful despite the lack of effects. Neat!

[@jamcalx]

Makes sense. Giving an all power object to a universe it won't work in is one of the greatest security measure possible against its miss use, and is much better than just locking it up normally.

[@92Mutu]

You did it! After years of setbacks! Congratulations - it was worth the wait. Even me, who don't play Yugioh, got into the battle and when the Game on started to play, you bet I was dancing along. Towards the new adventures we go! All the best to you all!

[@TheHumbleFellow]

53:58 Ah yes, the great taglines of Yu-Gi-Oh. "It's time to duel!" "Get your game on!" "Sit your ass down!"

[@cinomaticsith]

Merry Christmas Linkara. Great review and a phenominal way to end a storyline that lasted longer than it needed to. This was definitely worth the wait. 10/10

[@desshinta9428]

The end duel was surreal for me. Short of the Marauding Captains and with the additions of synchro's like stardust and black rose Dragon's, Linkara was basically playing the deck I was using at the end of 2008, a full 15 years ago. I Remember that vividly, as Crossroads of Chaos, the booster set which added black Rose and white Stone of Legend to the TCG, had JUST come out a month ago; and I'd pulled both Black Rose and the white stones in the few packs I'd managed to buy, to use in play around campus at college after Finals. Hell, I'd even pulled that mind game of the game-winning card set as a misdirect a few times myself. An Appropriate Nostalgia-kick for the franchise, even if a few of the things Lewis questions about it have pretty much been answered in later series than he's seen past or in Wiki-recorded Apocrypha that's been released over the years. Case in Point, the game wasn't instsantly popular nor everyone obsessed with it in the Original yugioh's time. It was Seto Kaiba's events like the Battle city Tournament and redistribution of the event weekend's recordings which popularized the game enough thanks to its promotion by Seto that it essentially became the yugioh world's version of Pokemon; leading to why it had the focus it does in the sequel media. And spirits keep intersecting with the game thanks to the creation Dragon god of the franchise (Number 100 Numeron dragon) being lonely and wanting someone to play withand created the Yugioh universe as a result; so any form of game may invoke the cosmic energy (magic) of that being as a medium of expressing its power, and the Duel monsters card game is just the most modern expression of that channeling medium while others have existed in the past. ...Yeah, that's not an exaggeration, that's been canon since Zexal and its introduction of Exceed (Xyz) monsters.

[@G0ATFAC3]

Excellent work as always. I'm glad Linkara sought to finish the duel if only for his pride, from the moment it was revealed the Bandit Chief was cheating I knew he would, that's exactly the kind of guy he's always been. Also the part where he activates a card and BC just says "no" is so true to the game because that's what EVERY kid did to their opponents when they were winning back in the early 2000s on the school ground. Fantastic stuff!

[@christopherb501]

If anyone was wondering where the franchise currently stands... - the card game itself is combo soup that shifts its metagame around entirely based on random legacy support catching on or the new hotness being overtly pushed to the extreme - the anime at present involves machinations among alien forces that had their genesis in a godhead manifestation of a guy from Earth that was thrown into the distant past because he gave a kid with a giant robot who reinvented children's card games an unnecessarily hard time. Also cats.

[@joshuaoneal233]

Now there could be the chance to discover who that being messing with Linkara's memories in his experiment really is, or what Mechakara has up in store for his revenge.

[@lucyinchat]

A piece of the world is missing.

[@DetectorCliche]

I thought A Piece of the World is Missing gave up.

[@Brandonweifu]

​@@DetectorClichemmmmmm I think it may return Fused with a now even more insane lord vice

[@Brandonweifu]

Also that ghostly figure in the darkness that recognized linkara Don't forget one of the contestants warning linkara about vice having followers As well as that ghostly figure that was torturing linkara discovering something but was blast away before he could explain

[@bizarroguy6570]

The Contest is Over! Now for some holiday cheer to celebrate! *MERRY CHRISTMAS* ATOP THE FOURTH WALL!!!!!

[@364dragonrider]

Calling it now: Linksano was actually destined to become the Champion of his universe, and a future arc is going to be his brother coming and Linksano owning up to the consequences of unknowingly leaving his universe without a protector.

[@patrickgillespie4414]

Dude, the conclusion of the tourny duel was just as exciting as watching yugioh; bravo, man!

[@MattwosRandomNonContent]

0:27 Ancient monsters and sorcerers, corporate executives, a board of directors, evil clowns, evil principals, aliens, the reincarnation of someone from another universe, more aliens, a guy brainwashed by aliens, the living embodiment of darkness itself, a peppy teen turned evil king, a version of the protag from an alternate future who was trying to prevent that future, even more aliens, evil AI, etc.

[@christopherb501]

Also a massage chair a vacuum robot and a matrix limbo where everyone's a cat. And a chupacabra fanboy of a sheep lady.

[@MattwosRandomNonContent]

@@christopherb501 Those aren't villains. Two of those are amusing side characters and one is a tool one of the alien villains used, it's not even a character.

[@Jygerthe2nd]

Great review, and awesome duel. Mind you, I KINDA saw Dragon's Mirror coming the second you pulled out Future Fusion, but was awesome nonetheless.

[@AubriGryphon]

Did Bandit Chief seriously just say, "Screw the rules, I have gunny"?

[@yugoxgc]

Damn... Now I can proudly say that I lived till the end of The Contest of Champions. Considering how the years have been going that is in fact an accomplishment

[@OnDavidsBrain]

The Contest of Champions is finally over! And it comes down to a game of Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker! May the man Emperor bless us all and happy Sanguinala/Freeza Day everyone!

[@benwasserman8223]

Well this storyline took longer than anyone expected. But glad to see it end nonetheless - Merry Christmas Linkara, and here's to new beginnings in 2024!

[@LupineShadowOmega]

An outstanding ending all things considered and very inspired piece of writing with the Gauntlet, being both a potential hope in the darkness to come, but also an abject lesson from the super advanced civilization.

[@Gungelion]

Well, ultron managed to find a loophole in the 'what if' series.

[@mickeyd343]

CONGRATULATIONS ON FINALLY COMPLETING THIS STORYLINE!!!! I do look forward to the next storyline, especially when it was set up all the way back in at the end of the Hellraiser comic reviews.

[@Robin0928]

I understand nothing about Yugioh, but man it was so satisfying to watch the contest come to an end.

[@danielbrant6740]

I'm still amazed after all these years, KZbin hasn't made a peep about you using that March Of The Empire snippet for your *_ANCIENT EGYPT_* running gag.

[@AT4W]

It's short enough that it doesn't bother them.

[@Fort_Master]

And thus, another chapter of the Linkara Saga closes... Now all that can be done is to wait and see what the next hurtle our favorite comic reviewer has hurtling towards him next is!

[@JasonVoorhees2011]

"Yugi, why didn't we just set ALL our enemies on fire before now? I love it!" Hoo-hoo, wait till he finds out how many times Atem did that in the manga.

[@tonywalters930]

The evil is defeated. Congrats on finally finishing this storyline Linkara. Hopefully the next one won't take 5 years

[@scarecrow9239]

HELL of an end to the contest of champions, Linkara. Its taken years to reach but good lord this payoff was so frigging worth it. Congrats to finally ending it and good luck to the future storyline

[@Pinkanator]

This might be a slightly bizarre thing to say but, how the amount of tension and excitement from really getting into that match has honestly really pushed me into wanting to FINALLY watching the anime in full after only catching episodes here and there since when I was a kid. Really great stuff, every inch of effort put into it really shows.

[@gamestation2690]

Fun fact: "Capsule Monsters" was what Pokémon was originally going to be called.

[@raveast]

And Back when Ultraseven series(1969) had already used "Capsule Monsters" Name.

[@dnmstarsi]

Now I just want a Pokemon Legends game where it's set in Ancient Egypt.

[@KingOfDoma]

It's still wild to me that this involved the original footage of Fard and Tamara as the newscasters, given that that was filmed PRE HASHTAG CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

[@daelen.cclark]

It wasn’t starring any of the main offenders, so that helps a fair bit.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I was thrown by there appearances at first until I realised it must have been filmed years ago!

[@charlesswansonii9319]

It's better that Yugi and his friends shared the plane with Sterling Archer. Imagine if they had shared it with, say, Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo or their extended entourage. That plane would never even make it to India and touchdown somewhere in Vietnam or the Pacific Ocean.

[@matthewrooney8834]

Can’t wait for the plot compilation

[@sephirothii13]

FINALLY Linkara's long nightmare is finally over. Glad to see everyone come in on the last one!!!

[@New3DSLuigi364]

YAY!!!! THE CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS IS FINALLY Over. . . Hopefully Linksano can get that Infinity Gauntlet working in THIS Reality; Because Linkara NEEDS its full power to Stand a Chance of surviving Round 2 against the Malevolent Monstrous Mirror Margaret; Since Moarte would kill Linkara if he ever needed HIS interference against her again; so He CANNOT Rely on him to deal with her like he did last time Then They could Thanos Snap Mirror Margaret & Mechakara out of existance!!

[@Kinsume1]

congratulations on finishing the storyline!

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

I watch Progression Series. All there is is Chaos. I watch Linkara. And there's still more Chaos. Can people PLEASE STOP banishing a light and a dark

[@PapaTaurean]

Wonderful ending to the contest! I hope you continue to get your game on Linkara!!

[@TheCyclonesEye]

"setting our enemies on Fire is almost as fun as MIND CRUSHing them, Yugi! Oh how I love Psychological Torture"

[@COMICSAREAWESOME]

Its been a long, loooooooooong, journey but hey we made it to the end.

[@Theokal3]

Ok I admit I enjoyed the Contest of Champions finale more than expected. Man that was fun^^

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

Well Linkara did say he was going to finish the contest of champions by the end of the year no matter what and he wasn't wrong

[@allybear68]

Congratulations for finishing the Contest of Champions! We're finally free to pursue other storylines!! HOORAY!!!

[@liamtheman2099]

Love the finale, Lewis and I can’t wait to see what Architect of Mirrors has in store. To quote Raven from Teen Titans, “Way to go, champ.”

[@florenceb1031]

With how OP the Infinity Gauntlet is, I predict that either Linksano won't get it working until the final storyline before you retire or something will happen to break it after you use it for the first time.

[@mingchoi8369]

At long last the accursed Contest of Champions that ran too long has finally come to an end!!! Truly this is a Xmas miracle!!!! Ok, we’re still waiting for the race with Sphinx Yonder (maybe after the compilation is posted, the race can be posted as a separate short video), but yeah, at least we finally got to see the finale. To be honest, I was resigned to just seeing the dreaded video where you’ll just tell us how it was supposed to end and be done with it. This arc ran on far longer than the Clone Saga and DC’s Doomsday Clock, and I wondered at times if it might go the same way as Apollo Z Hack’s Reviewaverse Saga or Iron Liz vs Judas Liz or the Game Show Reviewer or EZ Rider's Toku Time storyline or even the Spoony Experiment. I would probably say Linkara might return to the Contest, but after all the production troubles that dragged out the contest, I don't think we'll see another tournament arc, at least in the main series. Anyway, now that the final match has been completed, we can finally move on. Up next: aside from Grant Morrison’s Klaus, Architects of Mirrors. Hopefully, it will not last five frakkin’ years. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[@DawnOfTheOzz]

The Contest of Champions is brought to you by YugiOs - they're Yugi-licious!

[@MyFirewing]

linkara you’re a beast for dropping a video on christmas day!

[@LovlyHorror]

A new episode comes out on Monday and the Contest of Champions is done? It's a Christmas miracle!